Good, But Not Their Best

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	• Awake (Deluxe) Skillet Atlantic, 2009 average customer review:based on 72 reviews view larger image
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Good, Almost Great

Ok so skillet is about 8, maybe 9 albums in. One thing about this band that has made me fall in love with them, has been their continual evolution. This group has kept me on my toes by changing up their sound and style while maintaning their same effective message.
Hero and Monster comes out swinging. Powerful voc's and full of hooks. One Day to Late, is a decent song, not my favs; however Forgiven and Never Surrender really pulled me in and Lucy is simply a great song. All in all this is a GOOD album, in my opinion, the thing that keeps it from being GREAT, is the fact that i feel like i've heard some of this before- Dont get me wrong, for me to even bother writing a review on a band, means i have to be a fan to begin with, and as a fan, i should be privaleged to give my opinion on the weak points as well. I feel like this album is the weaker half to Comatose. either way, i look forward to what skillet has next to offer! This is a band that has a LONG road ahead of them!

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Not Bad At All.

First of all, a "Congratulations!" is of order for getting your song "Monster" out there on quite a few "Mainstream Secular Stations" out here, where I've heard your song being played on an almost daily basis. This was nice.

I liked the album, at least from what I've heard on this site. Right now, just not enough to give it a higher ranking than what I've scored it here. It is worth a closer look, and if I'm so inclined to do so, I will edit my review.

Otherwise, it is not bad at all.

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Great CD!!!!

Jen Ledger Is Now the drummer,It still lists Lori Peters as drummer,Unless she was just a temporary fill-in!I didn't know that they made a deluxe edition of this CD with 3 bonus tracks(the radio edit version is only one line different on "MONSTER" than the CD version-Just doesn't sound like a monster on that one part near the end of the song,that's it.I know cuz it's played like it's going out of style on a local rock station right now!)I like this CD!Skillet is one of my top 5 bands!A solid 5 Star effort!!!!!

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Good, But Not Their Best

I have to admit that when I first heard the hit single "Monster," I didn't like it. I thought it sounded like the rest of the lame radio-rock crop (mainly Three Days Grace). Over time though, it grew on me, as did this band. I first heard them in '04 or so, when "Savior" was all over the radio. I got the album (Collide) from a friend and played it here and there for a few years, never getting that into it. However, this past fall, I rediscovered this band and decided to check out their current works. Enter Awake, their latest collection of tunes. Sure, they aren't that groundbreaking, but in this over-saturated music market, who really is? The fact is that the songs are pleasing to the ear and that's all that matters.

The album begins with "Hero," a rockin' song with a killer chorus. Interesting to note, however, is that the verses are the strongest point of the song, with well-written vocal melodies backed up by an insanely cool guitar riff. This is also where we are introduced to new drummer/backing vocalist Jen Ledger, who shines in both departments, meshing well with the band's sound and contrasting perfectly with lead singer John Cooper's grittier vocal style. The song's bridge is nothing short of a masterpiece, as is doesn't completely fly the listener away from the rest of the song, but doesn't leave you on the ground, bored of the same riff you've heard for two and a half minutes like most bands. After this is "Monster," a pounding rock song that also helps show off Cooper's rough yet strangely warming vocal tone.

"One Day Too Late," although not very musically exciting, is a lyrical masterpiece, with Cooper proclaiming his decision to work harder to change the world in a positive way TODAY, because tomorrow may be "one day too late." Other stand-out tracks include "Never Surrender," "Forgiven," "Don't Wake Me," and "Lucy," which is by far the most emotional track on the album. Starting out as a piano ballad, the song takes an energetic turn with the entire band crashing in as Cooper delves deeper into a sad story of love and loss. Sure, writing a song about a deceased loved one has been done before, but if you listen to this song and don't feel anything at all, god help you, for you have no heart.

The best song on the album has to be "Awake & Alive," which is neither ballad nor rocker. Though the cello and violin are reminiscent of many songs from their older works (mainly 2003's Collide), the track is a breath of fresh air, featuring a decent amount of vocal trading between Jen and John, as well as a ripping guitar solo by lead guitarist Ben Kasica. The best part though is the chorus, which is pure rock and roll genius.

Yes, there is a decent amount of auto-tune (after all, they're on a major label that probably insisted upon it). But it's the same story here as with the A Day To Remember album - look past it and listen to the songwriting. And yes, some of the ballads sound a little forced (namely "Should've When You Could've") but most of the songs are as aggressive as they are catchy. The bottom line is that if you're not a baby and can get past the fact that they are a Christian band (which happens to be one thing I love about Skillet) Awake might be something worth checking out. I almost didn't and am really happy that I did.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Limited deluxe edition contains two bonus tracks ('Dead Inside' and 'Would It Matter') as well as Fanbase enhancement and fan club insert. 2009 release, Skillet's eighth studio album, Awake, recorded with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson. The foursome's overwhelmingly satisfied with the entire sonic and thematic palette throughout Awake, which is loaded with plenty of anthems in the making destined to be smash singles and concert sing-a-longs. Skillet's massive fan base (who affectionately refer to themselves as "Panheads") are sure to agree, though they'll likely be even more impressed with the lyrical outpouring, which remains a top priority for the players. The album contains 12 tracks, including 'Monster' which were added to their live set during their Comatose Tour, and the single 'Hero'.

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